Second Chances
by Lily04
Summary: Sometimes life occassionally throws you a second chance.


_**A/N:** I have been so busy with school that my fics have been neglected. Because I've felt bad that I haven't been updating, I wrote this in order to get back into the groove of things. Hopefully I will be able to post updates for my other fics. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this short story._

**Second Chances**

Curled strands of hair tickled Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald's face as she walked through the deserted garden on the Crane grounds. Sunlight streamed through the branches of the trees overhead while birds hidden by the luscious green leaves filled the silence with their serenades. The assorted scent of blooming flowers wafted through the air and traveled freely through Theresa's respiratory passages; the scent seeming to have absorbed itself into her blood as it circulated through her body. Though it would have usually filled her with a sense of calm, Theresa's stomach still churned with uncertainty. She attempted to stop contemplating about the festivities to occur that day, but the sound of her dress ruffling as she walked, the white tents flapping in the breeze, as well as a number of others objects on the Crane property, reminded her of something she would have rather forgotten. Struggling to keep her lower lip from trembling, Theresa's brown doe eyes gleamed in the sunlight revealing her thought-saturated mind laced with regrets; the impending tears threatening to ruin her perfectly done makeup.

As her gaze lost itself somewhere in the vast expanse of the clear blue skies, the sound of children's laughter echoed in the distance. Almost immediately, Theresa recognized it to be the laughter of her own sons Ethan, Eric, and Evan. Ethan, her oldest and the namesake of her ex-fiancé Ethan Winthrop had almost been lost to Theresa thanks to Ethan's wife Gwen Hotchkiss-Winthrop. A turbulent past between the two women always seemed to complicate matters, and one unfortunate even in Los Angeles prompted Gwen to seek revenge against Theresa.

Gwen had always possessed a harrowing suspicion that Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald was scheming to steal Ethan away from her. Even after marrying Ethan and becoming pregnant with his child, Gwen never surrendered her fear of losing her husband to another woman. Theresa had managed to win Ethan's heart before, so who was to say that it could not happen again? By allowing her fears to consume her, Gwen was tottering on the edge of sanity. One small step would send her plunging into the depths of paranoia.

There had once been a time when Theresa whole-heartedly believed that she was destined to be with Ethan Winthrop. Growing up, her naiveté led her to concoct a fairytale love story that cast Ethan, who was then a part of the Cranes, as her prince charming- a wealthy, handsome, and well educated man, while she, the daughter of a housekeeper named Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald, was destined to be whisked away to be with the love of her life and live happily ever after.

Theresa's dreams of winning Ethan's heart were fulfilled on Christmas Eve of one year, but her fairytale ending was rewritten. Instead of marrying Ethan and living the life she had always dreamed, a whirlwind of disastrous events eradicated the ties that bonded her to Ethan. Theresa soon found herself on the sidelines watching Ethan scrambling his way back to the arms of his high school sweetheart while she was alone, pregnant, and devastated.

To the town's surprise, Ethan Crane was actually the son of Sam Bennett, the Harmony chief of police. Ivy Winthrop had tried her best to keep her secret under wraps, but every secret always has a way of revealing itself. After the exposure of the news through the tabloids, Ethan was no longer claimed to be a part of the Crane family. All his assets, his pre-determined inheritance, as well as all the other privileges associated with the Crane name were completely dissolved.

Later it was found that an e-mail to the tabloids with the information pertaining to Ethan's paternity was sent from Theresa's laptop. Theresa denied involvement, but the proof was stacked against her. Theresa was oblivious to the real culprit who committed the deed, but deep down she knew that Gwen's conniving mother Rebecca Hotchkiss had something to do with the ordeal.

Feeling obligated to retain all that Ethan had lost, Theresa traveled to Bermuda to speak with Julian Crane in hopes of the old womanizer considering to adopt Ethan and make him a part of the Crane family once again. The plan had completely backfired, and once Theresa returned to Harmony she was impregnated with Julian Crane's child.

Theresa shuddered as she recalled the morning she woke up to look up into the face of a man she had come to despise with every inch of her being. Soon afterward another slew of events, the most recent which included Gwen trying to steal Ethan Martin away from Theresa, led her to desperate measures of retaining custody of her firstborn. Gwen had blamed Theresa for the death of her daughter Sarah, and sought to make Theresa suffer by taking custody of Theresa's own child. However, with the help of Nicholas Foxworth Crane, a Crane son Theresa befriended the night of Ethan and Gwen's wedding; Theresa deliberately became the Winthrop's surrogate in hopes of getting her own revenge.

Theresa had become pregnant to Ethan and Gwen's dismay, but the desire for a child seemed to overcome the hatred Gwen possessed towards Theresa. When it was discovered that Theresa was having twins, Theresa had found herself in another predicament. In another complicated entanglement, Theresa had miscarried Gwen and Ethan's child and had tricked Ethan into sleeping with her. Dr. Eve Russell had informed the elated Winthrop's that both twins could not possibly be theirs, and everyone was left to wonder- who did they belong to?

Suddenly feeling lightheaded, Theresa reached out to steady herself on a bench in the center of the garden to allow for the nausea that overcame her to recede. Thinking about everything that occurred in the past had always been a tiring venture. As Theresa was about to delve back into the memories, she felt the gentle touch of someone's hand upon her shoulder. "We've been looking for you everywhere," She heard them whisper into her ear. "It's time to walk down the aisle."

Theresa suppressed a groan of disappointment and slowly stood up. "Nervous?" One of the bridesmaids asked. "Hardly." Theresa thought to herself as she smiled her practiced smile that she had taken days to perfect. "Let's get this over with." She said to which the bridesmaids laughed. Theresa frowned slightly noting that she had not intended her statement to be considered as a joke.

As the quartet began to play a soft rendition of Pachebel's Canon in D, Theresa's gaze surveyed her surroundings. Most of her time had been consumed in creating the perfect wedding, and as she stood at the end of the aisle Theresa found herself wishing that she was not a part of it. "Smile Theresa," She heard someone whisper to her as it became her turn to walk down the white rose petal-covered aisle.

"I don't want to smile," Theresa thought to herself sadly as she slowly took her first steps. "I'd rather cry."

Clutching her bouquet tightly, Theresa slowly stepped forward feeling the eyes of the crowd burrowing into her. Could they see past the façade? Could they see the leaden burden of devastation nestled within her heart?

As she pondered the questions encircling her mind, Theresa envisioned watching herself walking down the aisle in a white flowing gown holding a carefully arranged bouquet of white lilies. As she made her way closer to the father of her twin boys, Theresa returned to reality. In actuality she was not clothed in a flowing white gown or holding a bouquet of white lilies.

As much as she had wished she were, Theresa was not the bride; instead she was the bridesmaid.

It had been months of torture, planning her best friend's wedding to a man she loved. Whitney Russell had won the affections of Fox Crane, and Theresa secretly hated it. As she strolled down the rose-laden path, Theresa dreaded the torture she would experience once the ceremony commenced. Catching Fox's mesmerizing gaze, Theresa wished that he could detect the silent pleas her heart cried. "Please don't go through with this." Her heart begged. "Please don't marry Whitney."

But unfortunately Fox did not seem to get the message. He watched Theresa intently, his own eyes clouded with indecipherable emotions.

Nearing the end of the aisle, a sudden thought hit Theresa's heart with a shattering blow.

"You're going to lose him."

Theresa inhaled sharply and looked at Fox once more. Something in his eyes caught her attention. Was that a flicker of regret? Nervousness? Uncertainty? Before Theresa could probe any further, the strange look had cleared from his eyes while tears had filled her own. "You had your chance Theresa," She told herself dismally as a lone tear slid down her cheek. "You had your chance, and like a fool you never let him know how you truly felt. You still love him, and he doesn't even know."

Theresa dabbed her eyes quickly and sighed. Even though Fox could not return the love she possessed for him, they still possessed a deeper connection. He was the father of her two sons Eric and Evan, and nothing could ever change that. However, no matter how many times she told herself that, Theresa could still not shake the disturbing feeling that the man she loved was with another woman- her best friend of all people.

"If I could only have a do over," Theresa thought regretfully as she recalled the day she had her chance to tell Fox how much she still loved him- how she never stopped.

Theresa's mind dove into memories as she recalled the day pouring rain had drenched her clothing as she stepped up to the Crane mansion's front doors. Her mind had been spinning with the results of the DNA test, and as she had knocked on the door and was ushered in by a maid, Theresa was shaking with nervousness. How would Fox react? What would he do? What would he say?

Theresa remembered the shocked expression frozen upon Fox's face and remembered sighing in relief when he picked her up in his arms and spun her around. Then- the moment she replayed in her mind over and over again; the moment she would forever regret:

"Theresa," He had said softly as he pushed a piece of hair that had been plastered against her damp face. "Do you love me?"

The question had completely thrown her off guard, and Theresa had stood silently, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. Fox watched her and mistakenly took her silence as a firm "no." Before Theresa could utter an audible answer, Fox's eyes washed over in sadness." Never mind, Theresa," He said quietly. "Forget I even mentioned it. I thought maybe we could try being a couple again, but if you don't love me," Fox trailed off. "We can still raise our sons even though we aren't together."

"But" Theresa whispered- her heart screaming for her to tell Fox how she truly felt.

"Besides," Fox said. "Things with Whitney may work out after all, and you still love Ethan so"

"No I" Theresa began, but the loud crash of something upstairs had abruptly ended their conversation. Before Theresa could explain herself, Fox rushed upstairs to see what had occurred and found that Gwen had thrown a chair through the window in anger. Once Theresa entered the room, Gwen lunged towards her and attacked her in rage. The next moment, Theresa remembered waking up in her room, bruised but still intact, and alone.

When Theresa's mind drifted back to reality, Whitney had already made her way to Fox's side. "Ladies and Gentleman," Father Lonnigan began. "We are gathered here today to"

Theresa blinked rapidly as she struggled through an inner battle with her thoughts. As Father Lonnigan uttered, "If for any reason anyone believes that these two should not be joined in holy matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace" Theresa shook with nervousness. "Say it," Theresa's mind prodded. "Say it!"

Her tongue immediately feeling as though it dissolved into sawdust, Theresa bowed her head in defeat. "I can't do it," She said to herself. "Fox loves Whitney. Being with her makes him happy- I can't take that away from him. I love him too much to make him miserable."

As the ceremony continued, Theresa refused to lift her head. Her gaze remained fixed on her bouquet as the vows were ready to be pronounced. "Fox, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love, and cherish, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

Theresa closed her eyes and awaited the utterance of the two words that she dreaded the most.

After a long pause that seemed to last forever, Fox finally answered. "I can't." Fox said as the crowd gasped in response. "I'm sorry, Whitney, but I can't go through with this. I can't marry you."

"But Fox," Whitney said in disbelief. "I thought you loved me."

"After what you did to me I realized that I really don't." Fox replied stepping back and placing his hands in his pockets. "You'd think catching you in bed with another man would ruffle my feathers, but oddly enough it didn't. Normally jealousy and rage would course through a person if they caught their significant other in bed with someone else, but I felt nothing. Actually, I tell a lie. I did feel something. I felt extremely foolish because it took me so long to realize that I really didn't love you. Apparently, you feel the same way because if you did love me then you wouldn't have been banging some other man."

"Fox, we already talked about this. You said you could forgive me- that we could move past that," Whitney insisted as she reached out to him, but Fox never reached back.

"Sorry, Whitney, it's over between us." Fox said crossing his arms.

Standing with her mouth agape Whitney immediately narrowed her eyes and launched her bouquet towards Fox. "Fine!" She yelled angrily after him. "You were never that good anyway!"

As Whitney stalked off, the crowd sat in stunned silence. "Um folks," Dylan Banning, one of Fox's friends from boarding school, said as he cleared his throat. "It looks like there won't be a wedding today, so maybe it's best you all head back home. There's nothing more to see here"

"Actually," Fox interrupted as the crowd began to stand. "Why don't you all head over to the reception area? After all- we wouldn't want all that food to go to waste."

"Great idea," Dylan agreed patting his friend on that back. "All that drama worked up my appetite. Ladies and gents, follow me!" As Dylan marched off with the crowd following close behind, Theresa slowly approached Fox. Before she could say anything, Fox spoke first- his voice almost as quiet as a whisper. "You want to know something? As you were standing at the end of the aisle about to walk towards me I noted how your dress shimmered in the sunlight and gently swayed in the breeze and how your dark curls framed your face and brought out those beautiful chocolate eyes of yours. I saw the lone tear that escaped your eyes and the flicker of sadness before you looked away. I felt like my heart was being squeezed to the point of bursting as I remembered the first time we kissed, the first time we made love, and even the day you told me that I was the father of Eric and Evan. Then I remembered the moment I fell in love with you and how I never stopped loving you."

"Fox," Theresa said as she leaned against him and felt his arms wrap themselves around her. "You don't know how hard I wished you wouldn't go through with this wedding,"

"But I thought you didn't" Fox began, but Theresa immediately interjected.

"I love you Fox. I never stopped loving you. I wanted to tell you so badly so many times, but the timing was never right. You and Whitney got together and you seemed so happy. I didn't want to take that away from you."

"But that day I asked you if you loved me," Fox said cupping Theresa's chin. "You didn't answer me. I thought it was because it was no."

"You caught me off guard." Theresa explained. "And before I could explain myself we heard that huge crash and well"

Fox nodded in understanding. "If I had lost you- I don't know what I would have done."

"Fox," Theresa said pulling away as she bit her lower lip. "How about a second chance? How about we try again? For our boys?"

Fox scratched his chin as if in deep thought and moments later grinned widely as he lifted Theresa in his arms. "You didn't even have to ask," He said as he softly as he planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you" He whispered as his words danced in the air and forever embedded themselves in Theresa's heart.

**The End**


End file.
